1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to triggers, and more particularly to triggers for use in paintball guns.
2. Description of Related Art
The sport of paintball has become increasingly popular in recent years. In the most common version of the game, two teams attempt to capture the opposing team's flag. Although no official clothing is mandated, surplus military gear has become a common uniform. The players each carry a gas-powered paintball gun that shoots paintballs at high velocity and a considerable distance. The paintballs are gelatin covered spherical capsules which contain a colored liquid that is non-toxic, water-soluble, hypo-allergenic and biodegradable. When a paintball hits a player, the paintball ruptures and leaves a colored splat, and the player leaves the game.
Paintball guns typically include a barrel from which paintballs are ejected, a chamber coupled to the barrel, an in-feed tube which provides access to the chamber, a hopper which is mounted to the in-feed tube and supplies paintballs to the chamber via the in-feed tube, a compressed gas tank, a conduit which couples an outlet valve of the compressed gas tank to the chamber, and a trigger. When the trigger is actuated, compressed gas is delivered to the chamber which forcibly ejects a paintball from the barrel.
Semi-automatic paintball guns are designed for very rapid firing, for instance 800 rounds during a 10-15 minute game. As a result, paintball gun triggers have been developed having an upper finger gripping portion with an arcuate lever shape for engaging the index finger and a lower finger gripping portion with an actuate lever shape for engaging the middle finger. Such dual finger triggers facilitate rapid firing by allowing the player to alternate the trigger-squeezing finger. This also reduces finger fatigue. A drawback to this approach, however, is that considerable finger slippage can occur. If the player decides to straighten or wiggle a finger in order to reduce stiffness or fatigue, then the other finger can easily slide out of position and cause the player to lose critical time before either finger is suitably positioned to fire the next shot. Furthermore, even if an immediate shot is not necessary, the process of repositioning the fingers on the trigger can be awkward and distracting.
Accordingly, a need exists for a paintball gun trigger which reduces finger slippage, fatigue and stiffness and improves finger control.